UGM Proud Having a Visionary Leader as its Alumnus

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung walks toward a podium to speak as a keynote speaker in Leadership Talk at Master of Management Faculty of Economics and Business Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta on Saturday (30/6) (Photo: Anggun/PR)

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung asserted that Gadjah Mada University (UGM) is blessed to have President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as its alumnus. Not to mention that the President has a vision as broad as horizon.

“When I accompanied the President travelling around the world, his gesture did not show a typical UGM’s alumnus. Well, a UGM’s alumnus often feels inferior when meeting people,” the Cabinet Secretary said  when speaking as a keynote speaker in Leadership Talk at Sukadji Ranuwiharjo Auditorium, Master of Management Faculty of Economics and Business Gadjah Mada University (MM FEB UGM), Yogyakarta on Saturday (30/6).

In that event which was held as a series of the 6^th Lustrum or the 30^th Dies Natalis of MM FEB UGM, Pramono asserted that one weak point of UGM alumni is that they take one step back when meeting the alumni of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and University of Indonesia (UI) though eventually they still will be finished ahead.

However, President Jokowi did not show that when meeting with the leaders of other countries, such as President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump, President Macron, Prime Minister Turnbull, and  Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pramono added.

“I do not know why, but hopefully this is really because the Faculty of Forestry educated him to be like that. Completely equal, he did not show (inferiority, red),” Pramono firmly said.

Even, Indonesia would protest if its leader does not have the right seat in international forums.

This had never been done before. The fact that Indonesian leader had to sit at the very end of the row was previously common because Indonesia was regarded as a newly-developing country.

“But not today, our gesture is as a great nation,” Pramono firmly said.

Also on that occasion, the Cabinet Secretary mentioned that McKinsey, the World Bank, and IMF have predicted Indonesia will become the fourth or fifth most powerful country in the world in 2040-2045 if Indonesia’s political stability, economic development, and demography can be maintained.

“It’s not us to judge but the world,” Pramono said.

Therefore, Pramono hopes President Jokowi as the alumnus of Faculty of Forestry of UGM can have more opportunities to lead this nation, to build this country toward a better future.

“Because leading a country with a population of more than 263 million is not easy. Political uproar always happens, but surprisingly, political and business-economy field in this country are separated,” Pramono explained adding an example that during Jakarta gubernatorial election, the Indonesian Composite Index (IHSG) performed positively in the midst of political uproar.

Besides Pramono Anung, keynote speakers in that event were Managing Director of BNI Syariah, the sharia subsidiary of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Abdullah Firman Wibowo, Managing Director of PT Pembangkitan Jawa Bali (PJB), a subsidiary of state-owned electricity firm PLN, Iwan Agung Firstantara, and Managing Director & CEO of Samator Group, Arief Harsono.

Also attending the Dies Natalis were Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Vice Rector for Cooperation and Alumni of UGM Paripurna Sugarda, Dean of FEB UGM Eko Suwardi, former Minister of Finance who is also an alumnus of UGM Bambang Sudibyo, Chairman of Kafegama (Alumni Association of MM FEB UGM) Ikang Fauzi, alumni and academics of MM FEB UGM. (UN/ES) (RAS/MMB/Naster)